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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The past couple of months we have been slacking on our monthly date nights I had planned, but we did get this month's together and it was a lot of fun!What better time to visit Germany than October?! We celebrated Oktoberfest with some yummy fondue!

We used a beer cheese fondue recipe, but it turned out tasting too much like flour. Next time we'll have to try another recipe! We made it on the stove and then transferred it to a mini crock pot to keep it warm.

Dessert: Chocolate Fondue with pretzel sticks, marshmallows and bananas. (Could also do strawberries, cookies, etc)We melted chocolate chips using our tea light fondue kit I picked up at a yard sale. If you don't have one, you can heat up the chocolate on the stove or in the microwave.

Drinks: German Beer or Root Beer

After eating we played Aggravation! It's one of our favorite board games and I love this vintage board and marbles that belonged to my grandparents.

For more Travel the World Date Nights, check the "Date Ideas" page at the top of the blog.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

I have loved showing you all before and afters of our new home! Although I still have a few rooms left that need some finishing touches, we have gotten so many compliments on what we've done so far. Ya'll are so sweet! I am by no means an interior designer, but I do love decorating. So, today I thought I would share some decorating tips with you. The great thing about decorating is it doesn't have to cost a lot to make a big impact!

1. Shop your house! I do this all the time. If I need a decorating change (which is quite often), I shop other rooms in my house instead of going out to buy something new. These wood crates were used as shelves in our kitchen, but now they work great stacked as an end table in the living room.

2. Think outside the box. Use items that are intended for one thing, to serve another purpose. For example using painter drop cloths for our guest bath shower curtain or living room window curtains. They had the natural look I wanted plus are durable and pretty inexpensive!

3. Be willing to do it yourself. Pinterest is where I get most of my ideas. There are some great tutorials for how to make decor on your own without having to spend a lot of money buying it already made. These mason jar pendent lights were super easy to do and cost under $20 compared to the $50 or more I've seen on Etsy.

4. Decorate with everyday items. A great tip for saving money on decor is to decorate with items you use a lot. We use dry ingredients several times a week when cooking, so I displayed them in mason jars on the kitchen counter. It makes cooking easier because they are right there plus it adds a more country feel to the kitchen.

5. Know where to shop. Although places like Target have some adorable things it can also get pretty pricey. I like to frequent thrift stores, yard sales and online sale sites such as Craigslist or swap pages on facebook. These bar stools were on a swap page in great shape, just needed some new fabric to match our decor.

6. Make it over. Whether it's new fabric, new knobs on a dresser, spray paint, etc. see how it could be upcycled instead of throwing it out and buying something new. We had a brown shelf we found on the side of the road. With a little white paint it now fits perfectly in our living room.

7. See what it could be. Originally this was an old rusty trunk I picked up at a yard sale for $2.00! We painted it, added some legs and a pad for the top. Now it serves as a great coffee table!

8. Heirlooms and hand me downs. Not only are they free, but many items we have received also have special meaning because they have been in our families for a long time. Getting to see or use something everyday like this buffet that originally belonged to Derrick's great grandparents is so special. It's fun to think about what kinds of gatherings they may have used it for.

9. Make your own pillows. It's amazing how much a pillow costs at the store, anywhere from $20.00 and up! And of course you need several pillows, some for each season right? So...make your own envelope pillow cases to go over your existing pillows. Here is a no sew version too!

10. Use natural elements. Using items from your own yard is a great way to cut cost. Fill a bowl with pine cones or a vase with flowering branches.
This past spring I planted a cutting garden and loved having fresh flowers all summer long.

Do you have any more tips? Feel free to leave a comment on how you like to decorate on a budget!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

This old door came off the well house in our back yard. We decided we're going to tear down the building, but obviously I had to keep the door. It's perfectly chippy and weathered!

Drop cloth window curtains! I got the drop cloths at Lowe's and curtain clips from Bed Bath & Beyond. The clips are great because you don't have to sew a sleeve or loops on the curtains to hang them from the rods.

I found these wood crates at a yard sale for $1.00 each and stacked them to make an end table.